25 years ago today, in 1997, Janet Jackson released The Velvet Rope, an ambitious record that marked simultaneously her highest and lowest point in her life at that time. Today, it is obvious that a lot of modern R&B artists would not be the same had they never listened to this masterpiece, which was both a commercial blockbuster and a very personal record. When Janet recorded it, she had just signed an 80 million dollars contract with Virgin, which was, at that time, the biggest contract in the history of the recording industry. A consequentially massive budget was injected in the creative process, which reflects in the luxurious and super sharp production. Comprising 23 songs without any interruption, the 75-minute-long record is hard to digest, but contains no milligram of waste. Apart from being a hit with the critics, The Velvet Rope also contained her some of her biggest singles and sold 8 millions copies worldwide.

Sound-wise, The Velvet Rope foreshadows many trends. Besides its obvious bangers, like like « Together Again », « Got ‘Til It’s Gone », « Go Deep » or « I Get Lonely », it is a true broth of sonic hybridization. It also deconstructs traditional pop structures, abounds with futuristic-yet-sensual jams, and introduces forward-thinking textures like electro funk and trip-hop beats, ambient layers, and other cyber details.

While it sounds like a musical triumph at first, The Velvet Rope is also a tour de force of darkness and introspection. Janet was facing big emotional challenges when she recorded it: depression, eating disorders, distorted body image, self-esteem problems… Described as “a triumph of the spirit, a declaration of joy and healing that comes from examining the past while energizing the present, […] exploring the mysteries of sexuality even as it addresses the problems of prejudice », the record is both surprisingly dark and personal, unlike most of the mainstream pop releases of the MTV era. Years later, this diaristic and somber tone, with an ethereal, nebulous envelope, would become a genre on its own, with artists like The Weeknd or Kelela rising to stardom. On top of its personal tone, The Velvet Rope also holds significant social resonance, addressing sensitive topics such as sex and BDSM, homosexuality, domestic abuse and the AIDS epidemic. 

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of this visionary project, Janet reissued the album with a bunch of remixes. Not gonna lie, I did not listen to any of them, but it was a pleasure to dive once again into the original version, which remains one of my favourite pop releases of all time.

Do you feel it coming? The new movements and trends in music? Or you just like it all?

This week Deer Du Bois give you everything from sensuous, dreamy tracks to Palm Springs pop.

Get dancing with Equateur and their remix for “I Feel It Coming” by The Weeknd. 80s pop will make you feel posing and flirting at the same time on “Kill Me One More Time” by the sexy Zagata.

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Attract the less obvious with the more experimental but ever so catchy new track “Undertow” by Dutch singer Cut_ or get betwitched by the Dirty Projectors‘ new charm “Little Bubble (edit).”

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Both with Ella Vos, Soleima, we have a new power-women-on-top-pop pact in the making on their respective songs “Down in Flames” and “Cracks.”

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More intimate but with a dashing impact is newcomer Martin Baltser, who hails from Denmark and gives us his perfectly pitched voice on “Call Me Wild.” And with The Ghosts of Helags on “Under My Skin” and Cold Fashion‘s “Barbs,” hazy and electrically sizzling grand emotions pulse through your head with every listen.

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Call me wild for good music!

If you want to drink a bit more until you get tipsy, you should check him on Facebook and Soundcloud, and follow his regular posts on our site.

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While “Naked”’s nocturnal, trap-influenced sound is no revolution in and of itself, the nuance and flow that WOLFE de MÇHLS weaves throughout the 33-minute project makes it clear that it is his drugged-out party that we’re getting a chance to listen in on, and no one else’s.

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If you happen to have stumbled across WOLFE de MÇHLS’ “Dead In The Bathroom EP” last year, then you already know what to expect on this new release. “Naked” is unapologetically dark, thoroughly intoxicated, and occasionally disorienting, feeling a bit like the soundtrack to a night spent trying to figure out what was actually in that pill. In the short space between the opener, “Undress”, and the second track, “Roses”, we’re jarringly transported from mellow acoustic guitar vibes to wet-around-the-eyes PBR&B in the blink of an eye, setting the tone for the winding sonic landscape ahead. Whether it’s the heavily and unpredictably manipulated vocals worked sparingly throughout the album, or the unexpected answering machine messages and “Hold On We’re Going Home” samples on “Ferrari Doors” and “Cleopatra”, respectively, “Naked” will undoubtedly keep you on your toes.

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On “Naked”, WOLFE de MÇHLS is reminiscent of a young The Weeknd, if The Weeknd had been on even more drugs when he made “Trilogy”.

However, when WOLFE de MÇHLS isn’t juking out your ears with an unexpected choice, it becomes easy to get lost in the sea of warped, anguished singing and sharp, clattering percussion that is all but ubiquitous here, as the cohesiveness of “Naked” begins to verge on monotony. While the production is certainly well-executed, and the vocal performances are appropriate for the overall vibe of the album, the sum of these parts leaves me wishing there was more to grab a hold of musically, so that the apparent story- or stories- of addiction and heartache that span “Naked” don’t feel so lost in the fog of some of the more repetitive elements of the album.

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There are certain songs, like “Drugs Bass and You” and “Sunset Park” (which features a solid Big K.R.I.T. feature), where a touch of conventional song structure and a more varied musical palette momentarily break the hypnosis, but the fact remains that a large portion of “Naked” sounds like the auditory equivalent of a pocket-watch swinging before your eyes, creating a kind of trance that leans more toward boring than it does intriguing.

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In the end, though, WOLFE de MÇHLS does display a heavy streak of artistry here, and “Naked” does have the potential to make for a very unique, dreamy listening experience if you’re in the right state of mind, altered or otherwise. A lack of songs that stand out individually and an overall sound that verges on feeling uniform both weigh down the overall enjoyment of this album, but not enough to sully interest in what he is going to bring to the table next.

visionnaire‘s songs are more than music, they are a therapy and a rebirth for the young artist!

visionnaire is a concept that essentially grew out of ruin. The artist explained to us that the end of last year and the beginning of 2016 were the lowest point in his life. Indeed, the talented artist was suffering from an existential depression. Luckily, some friends were very supportive and that is the reason why he decided to make music again. This project means a lot to him: more than sounds, his songs can be seen as a therapy.

visionnaire‘s “her aura loud” is a tribute to black women.

In his first original track “her aura loud”, visionnaire wants to give a sonic tribute to black women. From what we understand, some of them took particularly care of him during difficult moments. As the artist wrote:

[su_quote]It started as a prose post I wrote and quickly became a full-fledged record after the overwhelming support I’d received on Tumblr for ‘parties.’. The beat incorporates elements of hip-hop, new jersey house, future bass and r&b with jazz chords and melodies to of synthesize a theme as multifaceted and colorful as black women are in real life.[/su_quote]

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Then, with maturity and wisdom, the artist added:
[su_quote]”her aura loud” has faced great positive feedback and great negative feedback – the latter pertaining to the lyrical content. based on my innate pessimism alone, I was certainly prepared for dismissive and subliminal or even overtly racist negative criticisms of the song. But this preparedness for the worst is also why every listen, like, comment, repost, follow and download mean so much to me.[/su_quote]

visionnaire also shared “parties”, another track that is actually a cover of The Weeknd. The track “The party & The After Party”, which is taken from his 2011’s “House of Balloons” and based on a Beach House‘s sample, deals with drugs, sex, and destructive lifestyle. The artist recreated the beat with just his voice, his hands, and most of all, a lot of passion and respect for the ambiance and mood that the song sets.

visionnaire’s music comes from the heart and is vibrant and meaningful

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visionnaire is definitely an artist to watch. His music comes from the heart and almost means life to him. He promised us to share more music this summer and we really hope we will vibrate as much as we did for this first two tracks! While waiting for more, you can enjoy “her aura loud” and “parties” and download them for free! If you have a profile on HumanHuman, don’t forget to agree on this promising artist!

Finally, you can connect with visionnaire on Twitter, Tumblr and Soundcloud.

[su_dropcap style=”simple”]W[/su_dropcap]e could have expected that! The same night that she premiered her HBO special documentary “Lemonade”, Queen Bee decided to Beyoncé (a new verb meaning “dropping by surprise”) her new album. The LP, which is also named “Lemonade”, is now available via Columbia/Parkwood with a streaming exclusivity on Tidal. It features beautiful people such as Jack White (who is also a co-investor in TIDAL), James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd.

“Lemonade” is described as a visual album. The hour-long televised docu-style that was aired during a HBO special show featured all the songs with accompanying videos for each of them.

Beyoncé said about the whole project:
[su_quote]It is a conceptual project based on every woman’s journey of self-knowledge and healing.[/su_quote]

The film features appearances from Amandla Stenberg, Quvenzhané Wallis, Zendaya, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Mike Brown‘s mothers and of course her husband Jay-Z. The tennis champion Serena Williams is also present as she mentioned it yesterday on Twitter.

Stream the entire album “Lemonade” here (for Tidal subscribers):

Lemonade:

01 Pray You Catch Me
02 Hold Up
03 Don’t Hurt Yourself [ft. Jack White]
04 Sorry
05 6 Inch [ft. The Weeknd]
06 Daddy Lessons
07 Love Drought
08 Sandcastles
09 Forward [ft. James Blake]
10 Freedom [ft. Kendrick Lamar]
11 All Night
12 Formation

As a reminder, Beyoncé also dropped by surprise her previous eponymous excellent album in 2013. And, by the way, “Formation“, which was featured in our HighClouds30, is also featured on “Lemonade”!

[su_dropcap style=”simple”]S[/su_dropcap]ome days I wish I could stay like The Weeknd in this picture. “In my thoughts, while money is being poured around me.” … Unfortunately life doesn’t always…rarely…(never) works like that. Abel continues the promotion of his recent album “Beauty Behind The Madness” by revealing another “dark”-themed video for “In The Night”.

“In The Night” involves money, sex, drugs, violence (and reptiles?…) but it’s not surprising knowing that the dark song follows the steps of a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.
The song initially made as an homage for Mickael Jackson is actually inspired by Marilyn Monroe. Who also were a survivor of childhood abuses, fortunately we all know that the actress managed to use her sexuality to grow up and become “America’s most famous sex symbol”.

Abel even told this about the song; “Max’s studio used to be Marilyn Monroe’s old house and I came up with the concept for a song called “In the Night” in her bedroom. That was pretty amazing. Unfortunately I couldn’t help but imagine Joe DiMaggio’s sperm everywhere on the floor.”

The video is produced by BRTHR, who are the directors of videos such as “Breaking Up” by Charli XCX, “Tough Love” by Jessie Ware, “Youth” by Ben Khan and MS MR…TA-KU and more…
And also features his girlfriend, the model Bella Hadid (AND REPTILES).
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A video purely inspired by the 80’s movies…

Bonus :
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Just by herself with her piano, Empress Of rocks the song of The Weeknd making it even better ! Earlier this week, she released the video for her track “Icon” that you can watch here on Highclouds

[su_dropcap style=”simple” size=”1″]K[/su_dropcap]anye West has always been known for being quiet on social media. His soundcloud popped up out of nowhere with 2 exclusives song on it.
“When I see It” and “Say You Will”.

It all started when Travis Scott posted an instagram picture of the soundcloud account saying “It’s starts.”

Do I hear “Break the internet?”

The first song on his soundcloud is “When You See It” , the song includes the same beats as The Weeknd used on his song “Tell You Friends”, a song that Kanye produced.

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The second one is a new version of his song “Say You Will” taken from his album “808s & Heartbreak”. The new version includes the vocals of Caroline Shaw.

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Nobody saw that coming… But what does it really mean?!

Bonus :
The original version of “Say You Will”[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab0JjQmgJsQ”]